Exhibits from The Rifles Museum in Winchester are being shown at the Pop Up Shop in Fore Street ahead of the regiment receiving the Freedom of Wellington on Saturday, June 17.

On display are pieces of equipment, including helmets and hats which visitors can try on, medals, ration packs and other artefacts, in addition to a wealth of pamphlets and information boards.

The exhibition tells the story of the modern regiment, which formed in 2007. James Fenton, acting curator at the Winchester Military Museum, said it was "The story of a living regiment."

The Rifles regiment is formed of a number of historic regiments, which were amalgamated over time, before merging into the modern day unit. Mr Fenton said:

"The Rifles Museum is very focussed on the current regiment, so our story starts with its formation in 2007 and we go up to the modern day. Our collection includes exhibits from Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as more recent operations.

Visitors to the exhibit are welcome to try on various pieces of kit on show
Visitors to the exhibit are welcome to try on various pieces of kit on show (Tindle )

"The Rifles are the modern inheritor of 22 regiments which existed prior to 1881. You can follow their family tree all over the country, to the Durham Light Infantry, the Gloucestershire Regiment and others.

"One of those is the Somerset Light Infantry who were originally named the 13th Regiment of Foot. They are the joint oldest predecessors to the modern regiment, dating to 1685."

Mr Fenton explained that the historic link between Somerset and The Rifles endures to this day, with the County continuing to serve as a recruitment ground for the regiment.

"Somerset remains one of the recruiting counties for The Rifles. If you were to join the army in Somerset you would almost assume you would be going into The Rifles."

Explaining why the town had chosen to bestow the honour upon the Regiment, Mr `Fenton said: "Wellington doesn’t have any Military Freedoms. So when looking for a possible freedom to become the town’s first freedom, The Rifles were selected because the town has its links to the Duke of Wellington and there were five antecedent regiments at the Battle of Waterloo. 

"The Somerset Light Infantry are today part of The Rifles so in a sense The Rifles are the County Regiment of Somerset, as well as many others. In some sense the Rifles are the natural regiment to make that link."

The exhibit contained a wealth of knowledge about the regiment and its history
The exhibit contained a wealth of knowledge about the regiment and its history (Tindle)

The idea of bestowing the honour was first proposed by local history enthusiast Chris Penney. Mr Penney, who was volunteering at the exhibit this week, said: "I was surprised to discover there were no formal links between the many British Army regiments which fought at Waterloo under the Duke of Wellington.

"A civic freedom is a great way of putting our town on the military map. I'm sure The Rifles won't be the last regiment which holds the battle honour 'Waterloo' to be granted the Freedom of Wellington. It’s the highest civic honour a military unit can be given and I hope this will be the start of a lasting partnership between the town and Somerset’s county regiment."

Wellington's Deputy Mayor, Catherine Govier, officially opened the exhibit on Monday morning. She said the display was a great opportunity to learn more about the history of the regiment. Ms Govier said:

"It's a really good opportunity to learn about The Rifles and we've got a great exhibition here, lots of different artefacts and information ahead of the parade on Saturday.

"I would encourage people to come along to have a look and hear from experts about the Rifles and that will then add context to the ceremony.

The exhibit is supporting efforts to raise money to help the families of wounded servicemen
The exhibit is supporting efforts to raise money to help the families of wounded servicemen (Tindle)

Throughout the week, money is being raised for the Care for Casualties charity. The charity exists to help the families of those troops who have been injured in the course of their service with The Rifles. Donations can be given at the exhibit, at Saturday's parade and online via the Just Giving Page.

Cllr Janet Lloyd, who is part of the project's working group, revealed that the town will receive the gift of a bugle from the regiment, after they receive their 'freedom scroll.'

"There will be a parade from Wellington School to the Council Chamber where the hand over of the freedom scroll will take place, they will in turn give a bugle in appreciation for the Freedom, and then they will march back through the town toward the school, exercising their right.  "The scroll is very nice, it’s very big, it’s very heavy and in a frame so we are guarding it because we don’t want it being dropped. It is securely hooked."

The exhibit will remain ongoing until Saturday at 1pm when The Rifles are set to march through the town centre